20 jawans killed in Naxal attack in Chhattis02 garh; CM calls emergency meet

We

e-governance state govt's 03 priority: CM

04

Both Cong and BJP face challenges in CG

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Online edition available at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Vol-02. Issue-24. Bhopal. Monday Page-12. Price-05/-

he State

MARCH 10 TO MARCH 16, 2014

Withdraw remarks on RSS link to Gandhi killing: Rajnath tells Rahul

05

AAP hasn't lost its appeal in Delhi

08

Kangana Ranaut, you rock in Queen: Aamir Khan

09

e-newspapers also to get political ads certified

BHOPAL: The Election Commission has clarified situation regarding paid news and political advertisements on social media. As per recent directive of the commission, Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMC) will be constituted Lok Sabha constituency-wise. The committee will comprise concerning constituency's Returning Officer (R.O.) and A.R.O., who will be not below the rank of SDM. The commission has clarified that R.O. can co-opt members in the committee from all districts in the Lok Sabha constituency. This will not only help elicit maximum suggestions, but representation of all districts will also be ensured. The commission has also clarified regarding political advertisement. Now certification of political advertisements on social media has also been made mandatory. Making structure of district-level MCMC for screening paid news, the commission has made it clear that its members will include district election officer (DEO), A.R.O. (not below rank of SDM), an officer from Information & Broadcasting Ministry (if available in district), independent citizen/journalist recommended by Press Council of India (if not nominated by PCI) and District Public Relations Officers/District Information Officer will be its MemberSecretary. Meanwhile, after receiving suggestions and reactions of CEOs of various states, Election Commission has changed existing system of publicizing part-II of affidavits filed with nomination forms of candidates. At present, these affidavits are displayed on the web site of Chief Electoral Officer. Hard copies of affidavits are displayed on the notice board of Returning Officer. The commission has decided that apart from existing places, part-II of affidavits should be displayed at 7 other public places. These include collectorate, Zila Parishad office, SDM office, Panchayat Samiti office (i.e. Block office), offices of urban bodies in the constituency, Tahsil/taluka office and Panchayat office.

How WE look it !

...Cartoon by K G OJHA
kgojha@ rediffmail.com

he nine phase polling schedule announcement comes at a time when the youth in the country had demonstrated a visible interest in the political process coming out to vote in large numbers in five state assembly polls conducted late last year. The young have traditionally been rather indifferent to the voting process, especially in big cities of the country . However, this trend is now changing and the youth want to have their share in the formation of governments. As the Election Commission is pushing yet for fresh voter registrations of those aged 18 as of January 1, 2014, estimates suggest that in overall number terms, around 2.32 crore voters this time will be between 18 and 19, accounting for 24 per cent of the increase. Those between the ages of 18 and 23 are estimated to be 4.87 crore. Six states-Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Assam-that account for 201 Lok Sabha constituencies, the number of voters between 18 and 19 years of age per constituency is higher than the national average. The recent assembly polls saw an upsurge in youth participation, especially in Delhi. While it was still below the national voting average, which by and large has been on the

Youth ready to play decisive role in scripting India of their dreams

rise, the 20 per cent enrolment for the youth increased to almost 80 per cent in places like Delhi, in other places 60 to 70 per cent in that age group. The flair with which the young have embraced the technology in the country shows their penchant for quick results. Therefore, waiting for the outcome of an action for more

than a month or more (the counting is on May 16), is bound to tire out the interest level. But the modern youth doesn't want to passively watch all that is happening in the country . Let there be hope that even a nine phase poll would be endured by the young as they play a decisive role in scripting India of their dreams.

02

Chhattisgarh Explore

March 10 to March 16, 2014 (MP&CG)

Chhattisgarh BJP to give candidates' list to high command on Mar 10

Raipur/Bilaspur: The ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh has finalised the list of its candidates for Lok Sabha elections and will submit it to the party's central election committee in New Delhi on March 10. The panel of the names of contestants from Chhattisgarh will be presented during the national election committee meeting on March 10 and party high command will take a final call on it, Chief Minister Raman Singh said today. Expressing confidence of victory in all 11 parliamentary constituencies of the state going to polls next month, Singh said, "People of the state ensured win for the party in Assembly elections, which was a semi-final." "Now, they will help us to register a thumping victory in the final - Lok Sabha polls - to establish Narendra Modi's government at the Centre," he said. "Congress' slogan is Congress ka haath janta ke saath (hand of the Congress is with people), but contrary to this escalating prices are worrying the people," Singh pointed out. "Looking at the huge support of people across the nation, it is evident that BJP will form government at the Centre with full majority," he claimed. Notably, in 2009 Lok Sabha elections, 10 seats were won by BJP while Congress had managed to secure only one. This time again, the key contest will be between ruling BJP and Opposition Congress.

Steep rise in number of voters in Chhattisgarh

2014 elections: Chhattisgarh Police gear up to tackle Naxal threat

Raipur: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Chhattisgarh Police have started chalking out strategies in coordination with the adjoining states to tackle Maoist threats in inter-state border areas, officials said on Saturday . Top police officials of the Bastar region, including the Inspector General, SP and ASPs, held a highlevel meeting with their Odisha counterparts yesterday and drafted a plan to take on the rebels in run-up to the election and on the voting days, they said. On the direction of Election Commission a meeting was held with police officials of Odisha for a wellcoordinated effort to ensure peaceful polling in the Naxal-hit regions, Bastar Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav told PTI. Several districts of south Chhattisgarh like Bastar, Kondagaon and Sukma have links with the Naxalhit districts of Koraput and Malkangiri in Odisha in terms of movement of cadres, arms and ammunition. A coordination is necessary to curb the activity of Maoist cadres, he said. "We have mutually (police officials of both states) identified some sensitive pockets in the interstate border regions where there is a need to focus more," the SP said. "There are several areas on both sides where mobile check posts require coordinated support from security personnel of the two States," he said. Insurgency-hit Bastar and adjoining constituencies like Koraput, Nabrangpur (Odisha) and Gadchiroli, Chimur and Chandrapur (Maharashtra) will go to the polls on April 10.

RAIPUR

Minor girl gang-raped by five youths in CG

A 14-year-old tribal girl was allegedly gang-raped by five youths, who also attacked her cousin brother at Ghoghardih village in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district. Three of the accused have been arrested in the case, police said. The minor school girl was gangraped by five youths- Shyam Naagwanshi, Pintu Paikra, Munna Kumar, Chakku Urao and Kanel at Ghoghardih on March 2, Station House Officer of Kansabel, Anita Prabha Minj said. The incident took place when the victim was returning to her native place from the weekly market at Kansabel along with her elder cousin. The accused stopped them on the way and when the victim's brother tried to resist, they assaulted him following which he fell unconscious. He was later thrown in a pit, the SHO said. They later dragged the girl to a nearby secluded place where they sexually assaulted her through the night, the SHO said. Before letting her go in the morning, the accused threatened her with dire consequences and asked her not to reveal the incident to anyone. However, the girl later narrated the incident to her parents and lodged a case against the accused, she said. Three accused- Shyam, Munna and Pintu were arrested on Monday, the SHO said adding that efforts are on to nab two others accused.

hhattisgarh has witnessed a steep rise in number of voters, both male and female, compared to last Lok Sabha polls in 2009. While there were 1,54,71,253 total voters last time, this time 1,75,29,148 voters have already registered and the number is expected to increase with more registrations in voters' list. Chhattisgarh chief electoral officer (CEO) Sunil Kujur said that there are over 1.75 crore voters in 11 constituencies of state of which more than 88 lakh are male, about 86 lakh females and 1,535 fall in 'others' category . Hence, there are 973 females on the ratio of per thousand males. "Kanker and Bastar are two regions which have more female voters than males," he said adding that

registration of new voters is underway. Those who want to add names to voters' list and those who have completed 18 years of age by January 1, 2014 can also get their names registered. Kujur said that Chhattisgarh would have three-phased elections for 11 parliamentary constituencies. Naxalism affected Bastar would undergo polls on April 10. Gazette notification for April 10 polling in state will be issued on March 15, with filing of nominations beginning the same day while last date for filing nominations will be March 22 and scrutiny of the nominations will be completed on March 24. Contestants can withdraw their name till March 26 before polling on April 10. Likewise, notification for April 17 polling will be issued on March 19 with last date for filing nomina-

tions March 26 and for April 24 polling, the notification will be issued on March 29. On April 17, Mahasamund, Kanker and Rajnandgaon constituencies would witness polls while rest seven constituencies of Sarguja, Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa, Raipur, Durg, Korba and Bilaspur will undergo polls on April 24. Kujur said that special arrangements would be made at polling booths to beat the heat. "Voters would be facilitated with shade, water, washroom facilities so that participation doesn't get affected due to summer and standing in long queues," he said. All district election officers have been directed about effective implementation of model code of conduct and that no photographs of any political entity shall be displayed at government offices and its premises in state.

20 jawans killed in Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh; CM calls emergency meet

RAIPUR
In a major attack, Naxals Tuesday ambushed a joint team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, killing at least 20 jawans and injuring several others. Dipanshu Kabra, DIG, State Intelligence Bureau told ANI that 20 jawans have been martyred in the attack while three have been injured. A civilian was also reported killed in the attack. Officials on the spot say some Naxals may also have been killed in firing, Kabra said. It was an ambush. There are reports of around 150 Naxals present there, Kabra said further, making clear the scale of the attack. CRPF sources had earlier said that 15 of their personnel and five from the state police may have been killed lice was attacked by a large group of Naxalites at the 'Jeeram Nullah' under the Tongapal Police Station area of the district. Sources said a squad of 44 personnel, including 30 CRPF and 14 state police, were out for an operation when Naxals triggered landmine blasts and firing leading to the killings. We are getting reports of blasts and firing. For the time being the firing has stopped. Reinforcements have been sent, RK Vij, ADG (Naxal operations), said. Exact situation will be assessed once we reach the spot of encounter, he said further, adding, Exact location of the ambush is between Tongapal and Jeeram; the spot is 5 kilometres from Tongapal. Following the attack, an encounter broke out between the CRPF-police personnel and Maoists. Reinforcements have also been rushed to the spot, where fierce firing was reported between the two sides. The area is reported to be 'heavily mined'. Chhattisgarh Home Minister Ramsewak Paikra confirmed the attack, but did not specify the death toll. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said they are getting information, (but) cannot say anything right now. State Chief Minister Raman Singh has called an emergency meeting of the Chief Secretary, ACS Home, DGP and other high ranking officers to asses the situation. Police sources had earlier said that the firefight started at around 10:30 am this morning, adding the death toll is expected to rise. The incident took place in the same area where Naxalites had killed 76 police personnel in April 2010.

in the ambush. An assistant commandant rank officer of CRPF is believed to be among those feared killed. The attack took place in a dense forest at Tahakwada between Tongapal and Jeeram Ghati in Sukma district. Chhattisgarh Police ADG (Intelligence) Mukesh Gupta informed that a joint team of CRPF and state po-

(MP&CG) March 10 to March 16, 2014

Bhopal

03

Man killed over Rs 300, 3 arrested

Indore: Three men were arrested on Saturday on the charge of killing a friend here after he refused to pay Rs 300 lost over a game of carom. On February 27, the accused mercilessly beat to death Prakash Suryawanshi alias Munna after he refused to pay the money betted during a carom game, Superintendent of Police OP Tripathi said. The accused were identified as Pradeep Suryawanshi (24), his brother Deepak Suryawanshi (30) and Praveen Solanki (19). They beat Prakash with a pipe and later dumped him at his house where he died. Then they absconded. Acting on a tip-off, police traced and nabbed them today. All the three confessed to the crime during the questioning, police claimed.

Model code of conduct strictly enforced in MP

vehicles have come to the fore in districts. Similarly, 2 cases have been registered for holding of meeting speeches without official permission. Action under Motor Vehicle Act has been taken by SDM of Chanderi in Ashok Nagar district against Union Minister of State for Energy Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia for violation of code of conduct. Shri Scindia's video film-equipped vehicle was being plied without permission from RTO. In another case, Bhopal Collector is investigating a complaint lodged by Indian National Congress against Chief Minister and others regarding violation of permission for dharna. SDM Amarwada is enquiring into complaint by Smt. Kamini Shah (Congress) of Chhindwara alleging that Amarwara's SDO Forest Shri Basant Kakre is posted since June 2011 and indulging into political activities. Meanwhile, printers and publishers were asked to comply with provisions of section 127A of Representation of People Act 1951. Printline on general electioneering materials printed by printing presses must carry names and addresses of printer and publisher clearly . This was directed recently during a meeting with printers and publishers at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in the context of Lok Sabha elections. Chief Electoral Officer Jaideep Govind has apprised district collectors about the commission's directives. They were informed that general electioneering materials like cardboards, badges, paper caps, mobile stickers etc. and other related materials must have names and addresses of printer and publisher as per the Act. Four printed copies and one copy of publisher's agreement should be sent to CEO's Office or district election officer in the district within 3 days after printing. Violation of Representation of People Act will be taken seriously and strict action will be taken against the violator. In the Performa under which 4 printed copies and declaration form to be attached with it must have printer's signature and seal. Joint Chief Electoral Officer and other officers were present on the occasion.

BHOPAL
Model code of conduct is being strictly enforced in Madhya Pradesh to ensure free and fair Lok Sabha election. On the second day after announcement for Lok Sabha elections, posters, banners, wall paintings etc. were removed promptly in cities and towns of the state. Under the provisions of Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act, 30 thousand 758 wall paintings, posters, banners etc have been removed from public and private properties. As many as 28

Rs 22 cr treasure found in Lokayukta raid at PWD guard's house

Indore: In an eye-opening raid, a chowkidaarwith the Public Works Department here was found to be in possession of disproportionate assets worth over Rs 22 crores. As per reports, Guru Kripal Singh's house at Tilak Nagar was raided this morning following a tip-off. Lokayukta officials, who are still carrying out the raid, have found cash, jewellery and several property papers from the house. Reports said cash worth 12 lakh 44 thousand was recovered, apart from documents of Rs 35 lakh worth of investments. Officials also seized three four-wheelers, including Tata Safari and Toyota Innova, as well as two twowheelers from the PWD guard. He also has 14 houses and 11 agricultural land totalling nearly 20 acres in his name. The worth of Singh's immovable property is estimated to be worth over Rs 10 crores. Twenty bottles of imported liquor were also seized from his residence, while officials have also found that he has a locker in a UCO Bank which has yet to be opened. Ironically, the guard's monthly salary is mere Rs 22,000

thousand 502 posters, banners and wall paintings have been removed from public properties and 2256 publicity material from private properties. So far, 9 thousand 559 wall writings, 8 thousand 440 posters, 6 thousand 58 banners and 4 thousand 445 other materials have been removed from public properties. During the action, one case has also been registered. Similarly, 1376 wall writings, 693 posters, 680 banners and 506 other materials have been removed from public properties. As many as 2 cases of misuse of

e-governance state govt's priority: CM

BHOPAL
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has said that good governance is priority of the state government. Its basis is e-Governance. These days, charisma of information technology is visible everywhere in the state. Chauhan was addressing a function where Information Technology Excellence Awards were distributed. On the occasion, he announced Rs. one lakh award with citation for Secretary Information Technology Hari Ranjan Rao. He directed that Secretaries doing excellent work should also be awarded. Farmers Welfare and Agriculture Development Minister Gaurishankar Bisen was also present on the occasion. Chauhan said that e-Governance is state government's priority . This sector has immense potential. It should be our goal that Madhya Pradesh leaves behind Silicon Valley in information technology. He said that innovations in IT sector have been made in Madhya Pradesh. Complaints are being redressed immediately through Samadhan Online. Relief amounts are being deposited directly in crops were affected in the past. Now, Rs. 2000 crore has been provisioned for relief to hailstorm-affected farmers. Transport and Information Technology Minister Bhupendra Singh said that state government has undertaken unprecedented works for expansion of information technology . Department's budget has been increased to Rs. 190 crore, which was Rs. 93 lakh in year 2003. He said that Madhya Pradesh has emerged as pioneer state in information technology sector. Chief Secretary Anthony de Sa said that atmosphere of IT has built up in the state. It is perhaps the first state in the world where innovation like virtual cadre in information has been undertaken. He said that wide publicity of innovations is also necessary . At the outset, Secretary IT Hari Ranjan Rao delivered the welcome address. Deputy Secretary O.P. Vastava proposed a vote of thanks. The programme was conducted by Sudhir Kochar. At the programme, the Chief Minister distributed 23 awards for year 2012-13 in 9 categories including good governance, empowerment and progress.

Notice to MP BJP unit for non-compliance of RTI mechanism

Cong accuses BJP of violating model code in Madhya Pradesh

Indore: The opposition Congress accused the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh of violating the model code of conduct by organising statewide shut down. State Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja said here today that BJP leaders organised vehicle processions, demonstrations, road blockades and rallies during the strike, thus violating the model code of conduct. Alleging that these actions not only violated the model code of conduct, but also the Criminal Procedure Code, he demanded that cases be registered against all BJP leaders. Yesterday, the ruling BJP had called a half-day strike demanding that the Centre provide a Rs 5,000crore package for Madhya Pradesh's farmers, who suffered crop damage due to rains and hailstorms.

farmers' accounts. Time and money in administrative works are being saved through video-conferencing. Major IT infrastructure with immense employment potential is coming up in the state, he added. The Chief Minister said that inclusive culture is developing in the state under which all including farmers and employees stand side by side in hour of crisis. He said that employees in Madhya Pradesh also stand by farmers in their crisis. They are donating their oneday salary for relief to them. He said that state government is ensuring welfare of all sections of society. Economy has been strengthened. He said that state government had given Rs. 600 crore relief to farmers when their soybean

Five-year-old girl raped in Bhopal

Bhopal: A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by his 22-year-old neighbour in Jehangirabad area here on Saturday, police said. Moon Bahadur, who lived near the girl's house, lured the victim by offering to buy her a toffee and raped her at an isolated place, they said.

The accused has been arrested while the girl was admitted to a hospital in a serious condition, police said. A case of rape under the Indian Penal Code and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) was registered against the accused, they said.

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Information Commission today directed issuance of notice to state BJP unit for alleged non-compliance of RTI mechanism at its office here. The action came following a complaint by RTI activist Ajay Dubey, who approached the State Information Commission (SIC) after he allegedly did not find any mechanism by BJP here for facilitating RTI queries from people. He had approached the SIC on the basis of Central Information Commission's (CIC) last year order which held that six national political parties--Congress, Bhartiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India(CPI), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP)--come under the ambit of Right To Information Act. While hearing Dubey's plea today, the Commission directed that a notice be issued to the state BJP unit and it may be asked to file its response before the transparency watchdog on the next date of hearing scheduled for April 4, officials said. "I had gone to file RTI application at BJP office in Bhopal. But there was no mechanism in place for it. I then went to State Information Commission against BJP," said Dubey. The CIC had in June last year held that the six national parties have been substantially funded indirectly by the central government and were required to appoint public information officers for giving information under the RTI Act.

04

Raipur Trail

March 10 to March 16, 2014 (MP&CG)

Chhattisgarh to hold recall vote for two municipal bodies

Raipur: An election for recalling elected chairmen of two municipal bodies will be held under 'Right to Recall' in Chhattisgarh. In accordance with the Chhattisgarh Municipalities Act 1961 that gives a voter the 'right to recall', the Chhattisgarh Election Commission has initiated the process to recall chairpersons of Saria municipality in Raigarh district and Vishrampuri municipality of Kondagaon district, an official here said. The State Election Commission has recommended the government to conduct polling under the process, he said. In this line, the process of preparing voters' list in both municipalities has been initiated. The collectors of the concerned districts have been directed to ensure the completion of publicity of publication of voters list, appointment of authorised employees and their training, providing format of voters list and recall poll related information to MP, MLAs and corporators by March 13. The motion for right to recall against Vishrampuri municipality chairperson Suman Markam and Saria municipality chairperson Kamla Swarnkar, was passed recently for their alleged under-performance. If more than half the total number of voters favour the recall, the elected position of chairman will be nullified, the official added

Both Cong and BJP face challenges in CG

RAIPUR

oth in assembly and Lok Sabha polls, BJP has been in control in Chhattisgarh for over a decade. The Raman effect that proved so effective during the assembly elections and the Modi factor, will work in BJP's favour. The party is high on confidence and has a strong organizational network. However, it will not be a cakewalk for BJP. The party faces many challenges in the state. Retaining the Lok Sabha seats the BJP won in 2004 and 2009 elections could be difficult, since the tribal areas are not too happy with the party's regime. The party has failed to connect

with the SC voters as well. Governance and corruption are still key issues and the report cards of many sitting MPs are not satisfactory on those counts. Meanwhile, the Congress is emerging strong in three areas-south Bastar, north Sarguja and Rajnandgaon. It has gained the tribals' confidence in backward areas. Anti-incumbency against the ruling BJP might help if CM Raman Singh fails to curb corruption. No doubt the Congress faces greater challenges in the state compared to BJP. The party still suffers from lack of effective leadership. The organizational set up is weak as well. Factionalism persists and poses a ma-

jor problem during ticket distribution. The party is held responsible for the UPA's failure and weaknesses at the Centre. It has failed to impress voters in urban areas. So both Congress and BJP have their strong and weak points in Chhattisgarh. But the prospects of BJP are certainly bright in the state and Congress is unlikely to gain too much from BJP's weaknesses mainly because of in-fighting within the party . The UPA government's scam-hit tenure may reflect on the Congress in the state. At the same time the anti-incumbency against the state BJP government may prove to be beneficial for the Congress in Chhattisgarh.

Cases of assault on women over witchcraft practices on rise

Villagers oppose Jindal-promoted NSPL public hearing

RAIGARH
A public hearing organised to give environmental clearance to the OP Jindal Group-promoted Nalwa Steel and Power Limited (NSPL) for expansion of its capacity was opposed by villagers who accused the firm of short- changing them. At the hearing held yesterday, the villagers alleged the company was utilising water without any permission and has also not given jobs to those affected by the project, Regional Environment Officer John Lakda said on Saturday . He said nearly 3,000 people attended the hearing, a requisite for securing a green nod for expansion of capacity . During the hearing, most villagers alleged that the plant was affecting environment and the company is not using its CSR fund for the affected areas, he said. Lakda said the villagers also demanded that the hearing be termed illegal and cancelled. Rajesh Tripathy of Jan Chetna NGO, which is opposing the company's expansion plans, alleged the public hearing was akin to violation of poll code currently in force. Another agitator Radheshyam Sharma alleged the company management was colluding with the state government and tried to rig the hearing by bringing people from outside. When contacted, Raigarh SP Praful Thakur said the public hearing was by and large peaceful. Meanwhile, the OP Jindal Group dismissed reports of the project facing opposition from villagers. "On the contrary, villagers are supporting us. The expansion of capacity entails development of this area," the company said in a press statement. The plant is located at Taraimal, nearly 17 kms from here.

Rs 29 lakh cash, ammunition seized from Naxal hideouts

Rajnandgaon: In a major haul, a whopping Rs 29 lakh were seized from a Maoist dump in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district, police said Tuesday. Besides, ammunition and electronic gadgets were also recovered from two separate Naxal hideouts in the region. "A joint squad of security personnel busted two Naxal camps in Sitagaon and Aundhi police station limits in the past two days and seized cash, live cartridges and electronic items," Inspector General of Police (Durg Range) Pradeep Gupta told reporters here. Cash worth Rs 28.95 lakh was recovered from a Naxal hideout in Nideli village forests under Aundhi police station limits last evening, he said. The joint contingent of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF) and local police team was on a search operation along the border of Rajnandgaon-Kanker district for past several days. On Sunday, it unearthed a Naxal dump in Pitemeta-Amakoda forests under Sitagaon police station limits and yesterday in Aundhi. The other recovered material include 10 live cartridges of 9 MM pistol and 12 bore gun, a magazine of Insas rifle, steel containers used in planting landmines, three cellphones, data cable, radio, batteries, Naxal literature and other related items, Gupta said.

RAIPUR
Chhattisgarh witnesses frequent cases of assault on women over witchcraft practices, many of which go unreported. Three major cases have been reported in the state in last one month. Dr Dinesh Mishra, who is working against superstition and blackmagic, said psychology behind such extreme step is usually to end the cause, as just a suspicion on someone would not serve the purpose and villagers' problem would remain intact. Hence, without giving second thoughts, they either humiliate, assault or kill women under suspicion. He said that it was high time for administration to take a call. "Acting against accused and working according to prevention Act is fine but there's an urgent need to make people aware about how innocents are being killed over ground-

less issues," he said. However state commission for women said that commission was working sans chairperson as the former serving Vibha Rao's tenure ended in December and no other official preferred to comment. Subrat Sahu, secretary department of women and child said that cases of assault had come down. "Consistent awareness programmes are going on in affected areas which need to be intensified. We would call for registered cases and after conducting surveys, would act swiftly against the issue." In a latest incident a woman was killed under suspicion of being a involved in witchcraft practices in Uparwara village of Naya Raipur recently . Police have arrested four persons, all of whom are woman's immediate relatives. It's a case similar to one of Balrampur where a woman was killed by her neighbours when their kin was suffering from prolonged disease.

Deceased Dulari Bai, 52, was farmer Hariram Sahu's wife and the couple didn't have kids. Her husband's brother Mehattar and his family always accused her of being a witch and used to beat her frequently . Things turned worse when Mehattar's daughter-in-law fell sick and murmured Dulari's name in unconscious state, which enraged all family members. They suspected that Dulari was working spells on the woman to make her sick. Early on Wednesday, Mehattar with his wife Rajwanti, son Madan and another person Manoj went to Dulari's house with traditional weapons and beat her to death. On complain of deputy sarpanch of village, police acted swiftly and arrested all four accused under sections 302, 34 of the IPC while after further investigations, case would be registered under relevant Sections of Witchcraft Prevention Act 2005, police said.

(MP&CG)

March 10 to March 16, 2014

Madhya Pradesh

05

BRIEF

Congress candidate in MP joins BJP

Bhopal: In a huge embarrassment for the Congress, one of its Lok Sabha candidates from Madhya Pradesh joined the BJP Sunday. A day after he was nominated in the Congress' first list to contest the Bhind (reserved) constituency, Bhagirath Prasad joined the BJP at a function at the party headquarters here in the presence of its state chief Narendra Singh Tomar. "Happy to welcome Bhagirath Prasad in the BJP," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Twitter. Prasad, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Bhind on a Congress ticket but lost. The Congress had Saturday announced 22 candidates for Madhya Pradesh, which has 29 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Siddique Hassan Talab: BMC yet to start survey

BHOPAL he Bhopal's civic body hasn't done the survey work of encroachments on and around Siddique Hassan Khan Talab. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had asked it to complete the survey before Model Code of Conduct comes into force. But the civic body kept delaying the issue and now the survey is likely to be delayed further on account of code. NGT has asked civic body not to ignore dismal condition of lakes and its conservation work in a bid to improve their status. Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to get on with survey of encroachments at Siddique Hassan Khan Talab. Of the 11.99 acres of land of the talab, around 7 acres of land is under encroachment comprising around 159 houses, 14 hospitals, 20 shops and hotels. Also, the state government hasn't yet drafted a rehabilitation policy for encroachers around the water body.

BMC has said it was unable to carry on with the survey because of unavailability of revenue records. Taking a serious view, National Green Tribunal (NGT) central zone bench ordered the BMC and the state government to expedite work around the talab. NGT has said the delay is negligence of the government and told the civic body they should finish the task in two months. After the survey, "Notices for removal of encroachments and unauthorized constructions shall be served by the municipal authorities and after affording reasonable opportunities given to hear, the municipal authorities shall proceed in accordance with the high court's order. Earlier the high court had also ordered the BMC to take all necessary steps for removal of encroachments. The case was later transferred to the NGT for follow up action.

Cong LS nominee from Bhind Bhagirath Prasad joins BJP

In a jolt to the Congress ahead of Lok Sabha polls, retired IAS officer Bhagirath Prasad, whom the party had declared its candidate from Bhind seat in Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday joined the BJP. Prasad, who was announced the Congress candidate from Bhind seat only yesterday, had unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha elections on the party ticket from the same seat. This time also Congress relied on him and nominated him from the same seat, but today he switched over to the saffron party.

Withdraw remarks on RSS link to Gandhi killing: Rajnath tells Rahul

INDORE
BJP president Rajnath Singh on Monday asked Congress VicePresident Rahul Gandhi to take back his "baseless" allegation of involvement of RSS in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. "Rahul had levelled the allegation against the world's largest socio-cultural organisation saying RSS men were behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The fact is that the Kapoor Commission, which probed Gandhi's assassination, had stated in its report that the allegations against RSS on the issue were totally baseless," Rajnath said while addressing party workers at parliamentary area meet on Dussehra ground here. Taking a dig, he asked Congressmen to study history to know the correct facts. "After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the then government had imposed a ban on RSS but within six months Congress admitted that RSS had no role in the Mahatma's killing and all allegations levelled against RSS on the issue are baseless," he said. "I urge Congress leaders to request their Vice-President to take back the baseless allegations lev-

UPA Govt has no respect for federal structure: Chouhan

Indore: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today accused the UPA Govt of not respecting the federal structure and discriminating against the BJP-ruled State in providing relief to the farmers affected by recent unseasonal rain and hailstorm. He said the the Cong-led Govt at the Centre has no regard for the country's federal structure. It is discriminating against the hailstormhit farmers of the State on the issue of financial assistance due to political reasons. Chouhan was speaking at a function of BJP workers here where party President Rajnath Singh was also present. "The UPA Govt fears that if it provides relief to the Madhya Pradesh farmers, the BJP may benefit in the coming Lok Sabha elections," the CM said. The State Govt has earmarked Rs 2,000 crore for providing relief to the farmers and if more fund is needed, that too will be arranged, he said. How long the people of Madhya Pradesh will suffer this discrimination at the hands of the Centre,he sought to know and asked the voters to decimate the Congress in the elections to end this trend. Referring to the condition of Congress, he said the party is in such a pathetic position that its Lok Sabha candidate from Bhind, Bhagirath Prasad, has refused to contest, Chouhan claimed.

MP farmers' woes: CM embarks on fast against Centre's apathy

With a firm eye on Lok Sabha polls, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, along with his cabinet colleagues on Thursday began his fast here against the Centre's "apathetic" attitude towards rain-hit farmers in the state. "The people of the state stood behind farmers in their hour of crisis and provided them all possible help to deal with the calamity," the Chief Minister said addressing the sit-in protest scheduled to go on till 2 PM. "We have already earmarked Rs 2,000 crore for providing relief to farmers and this is just the beginning. We will take all possible measures to provide aid to the affected farmers," Chouhan said. "BJP leaders and ministers are observing fast to draw the attention of the Central Government towards the plight of farmers," he said. The ruling BJP, which had demanded declaration of extensive damage to crops by rain and hailstorm in MP as a "national calamity" has given a call to observe a shut down until 2 pm today in order to highlight the alleged apathy of the Centre towards the state's farmers.

elled by him against the RSS on the issue," Rajnath said. Addressing a rally in Thane district of Maharashtra on March 6, Rahul had said "RSS people killed Gandhiji and today their people (BJP) talk of him... They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji". BJP has already moved the Election Commission against Rahul over his remarks. Meanwhile, Rajnath also asked the Centre to make public the report of the Commission that probed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. "I wanted to know under what

conditions this report was not made public. I demand from the Prime Minister and the Congress leadership to make this report public so that people will come to know the circumstances behind the assassination of Indira Gandhi," Rajnath said. Rajnath charged Congress has lost dignity and also control over words. "Congress president Sonia Gandhi's remark of zeher ki kheti (sowing seeds of poison) is symptomatic of state of depression in Congress and because of this Sonia sometimes terms BJP poisonous and sometimes a thief".

06

Editorial

March 10 to March 16, 2014 (MP&CG)

ASTROLOGY
12-03-2014- Wednesday - Falgun Mah Shuklapaksh-Ekadashi Positive directions - North and West Bad time - 12:37 pm to 2:06 pm Good time - 6:40 am to 9:38 am and 11:07am to 12:36 pm and 3:35 pm to 6:33 pm 13-03-2014-Thursday- Falgun Mah Shuklapaksh-Dwadashi Positive directions - North and West Bad time - 2:06 pm to 3:35 pm Good time - 6:39 am to 8:08 am and 11:07 am to 2:05 pm and 5:04 pm to 6:34 pm 14-03-2014- Friday -Falgun Mah Shuklapaksh-Trayodashi (Pradosh) Positive directions - East and North Bad time - 11:06 am to 12:36 pm Good time - 6:38 am to 11:05 am and 12:37 pm to 2:06 pm and 5:05 pm to 6:34 pm 15-03-2014- Saturday -Falgun Mah Shuklapaksh- Chaturdashi Positive directions-North and East Bad time - 9:36 am to 11:06am Good time - 8:07 am to 9:35 am and 12:36 pm to 5:05 pm 16-03-2014- Sunday - Falgun Mah Shuklapaksh- Poornima (Holi) Positive directions - South and East Bad time - 5:05 pm to 6:35 pm Good time - 8:06 am to 12:35 pm and 2:05 pm to 3:35 pm 17-03-2014- Monday -Chaitra Mah Krishnapaksh- Ekam Positive directions- East and South Bad time - 8:05 am to 9:35 am Good time - 6:35 am to 8:04 am and 9:36 am to 11:05 am and 2:05 pm to 6:35 pm 18-03-2014- Tuesday -Chaitra Mah Krishnapaksh - Dwitiya Positive directions-South Bad time - 3:35 pm to 5:05 pm Good time - 9:34 am to 2:05 pm By AACHARYA SARVESH E-Mail: acharya.sarvesh@yahoo.com Mobile: 9826609192

More bomb blasts in India than Afghanistan or Syria

ith war waging in Afghanistan and news of bomb blasts in media reports almost daily, we in India must be inclined to think that nations like Afghanistan are very dangerous and unsafe to live compared to a peaceful country like India. However, you will be surprised to learn that India is one of the most dangerous countries to live in. The information from the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) states that you are more likely to die in a bomb blast in Indian than in Afghanistan. Surprisingly, a war-torn country like Syria too is falling in a better place than India, as far as bomb blasts are concerned. Recent information from the NBDC says that India suffered 212 bomb blasts in 2013, which is nearly double than the figures from Afghanistan which suffered 108 blasts in 2013. While Bangladesh faced 75 blasts, Syria faced only 36 blasts - both owing to an internal strife than external forces responsible for the same. It is good news that the number of blasts that occurred in India decreased from 241 in 2012 to 212 in 2013. At the same time, the number of deaths and casualties increased from 113 and 419 last year to 130 deaths and 446 injuries in 2013. According to official data, over the past decade, there have been an average of 298

blasts and 1337 casualties in India every year between 2004 and 2013. This is again higher than Afghanistan which in the past five years witnessed a maximum of 209 such attacks in 2010, according to the data. As far as the world figures are concerned, India accounts for almost 75 per cent of bomb blasts in the world along with Iraq and Pakistan. Another finding for attacks within India, of the official data says that its North East region and Maoist areas have contributed over 80 per cent of the IED attacks.

Amongst the North Eastern regions, Assam and Manipur are the worst affected. Furthermore, Jammu & Kashmir witnessed a 50 per cent rise in bomb blasts last year as compared to 2012.Among the Indian states, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Nagaland, Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir have witnessed a rise in the terrorist attacks through blasts. On the other hand, 15 other states witnessed a declining trend, some of which include Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Manipur.

Had Sanjay Gandhi India faces serious been alive ? challenges in health sector
BIPIN SASI

VASTU TIPS FOR STORE ROOMS

Store rooms should be placed in North-West portion of building as it is beneficial in terms of providing good provision of storage with minimal chances of shortage in grains. Things like oil, ghee, refined and gas cylinder etc should be stored in South-East corner of storage. The windows in this room should be made on Eastern or Western sides. The color chosen in store room should be tints of white, yellow or blue.

anjay Gandhi was a controversial and polarizing figure. At a political discussion an interesting remark came from a Congresman , Had Sanjay Gandhi been alive there would not have been threat of Narendra Modi. Does Congress thinks that Rahul's image is not suffice for handling NaMo Factor ? His son Varun is a BJP MP. Wiki leaks cable reveals that Prime Ministers 30 year old Son, Sanjay Gandhi abandoned back corridor politics to step into the political limelight. One thing is certain, had Sanjay's plane not crashed, he would have become Indira Gandhi's eventual successor Sanjay was 'disowned' by Congress Dynasty the day his widow was thrown out of Indira's house. Many people had doubts about the reason for the plane crash which killed Sanjay . In June 1975 his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, imposed a state of Emergency . All opposition politicians were arrested, and the press censored. Sanjay himself quickly emerged as the second most powerful person in India. Chief Ministers and Cabinet Ministers took orders from him. According to sources , Sanjay had wanted the Nehru-Gandhi family to rule forever. He persuaded his mother to set up a 12member committee headed by Swaran Singh to draft a new constitution for India. The document under preparation apparently included a provision appointing Indira Gandhi as the President of India for life and conferring on her family the divine right to uninterrupted rule. To push the process forward, Sanjay got the assemblies of Haryana, West Bengal and Punjab, all ruled by his loyalists, to pass resolutions demanding a new Constitution for the country . Fortunately, Emergency was lifted and the Congress was voted out of power before his plans bore fruition. Today congress internally seems to miss a vibrant and PM material like Sanjay Gandhi in the Nehru family .

ealthcare is a major concern for the governments around the world. Globalization brings with it increasing threats to health including SARS, avian flu, HIV/ AIDS, humanitarian emergencies and bio-terrorism. These and other threats to health know no boundaries as in an age of widespread global trade and travel, new and existing diseases can cross national borders and threaten our collective security . India has both substantial achievements as well as a daunting unfinished agenda in the health sector. Longevity in the country has more than doubled since Independence. However, these achievements do not mask India's failures. Malnutrition and rates of infant and maternal deaths have not reduced to the expected level during the last decade. Although India accounts for 16.5% of the global population, it contributes to a fifth of the world's share of diseases; a third of the diarrhoeal diseases, TB, respiratory and other infections and parasitic infestations, a fifth of nutritional deficiencies, diabetes and the second largest number of HIV/ AIDS cases after South Africa. The public health system is overwhelmed by the co-existence of communicable and infectious diseases alongside an emerging upsurge of non-communicable diseases. The number of HIV/AIDS cases is rising continuously as the prevalence level of TB cases. What

is also of concern is the expected increase in India's disease burden due to non-communicable diseases. Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes will more than double, cancers will rise by 25% and mental health incidences will affect about 6.5% of the populace in the years to come. These and other non-communicable diseases are expensive to treat and India's focus will be on adopting preventive strategies. Access to clean water and sanitation services and better hygienic practices like hand-washing will reduce diarrhoea. Likewise, increasing advocacy and awareness efforts against tobacco use will reduce CVD, lung and oral cancers drastically. Promotion of exercise and yoga is increasingly acknowledged to reduce stress and obesity, diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. The National Rural Health Mission is an attempt at building a sustainable health system for the country. It attempts to address long standing ailments of the health system. It is about decentralization and empowering local communities beginning at the village level to plan for their own health care needs. The Mission also attempts to fill critical gaps in the system, systemic as well as those relating to human resources, finances, materials and supplies and above all accountability . - (Editorial by Dilip Ojha)

(MP&CG)

March 10 to March 16, 2014

Politics

07

Instant feedback to voters through VVPAT

BHOPAL: Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballot less voting system. VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for electronic voting machines that allows voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended and can serve as an additional barrier to changing or destroying votes. Under VVPAT, a printer-like apparatus is linked to Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). When a vote is cast, a receipt is generated showing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate. It confirms the vote and the voter can verify the details. The receipt, once viewed, goes inside a container linked to the EVM and can only be accessed by the election officers in rarest of rare cases. The system allows a voter to challenge his or her vote on basis of the paper receipt for the first time. As per a new rule, the booth presiding officer will have to record the dissent of the voter, which would have to be taken into account at time of counting. The VVPAT system was not manufactured due to doubts on the EVM, but was part of the up gradation of the system. For the first time Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) with Electronic Voting Machines was used for the Noksen Assembly seat in Tuensang district of Nagaland in September, 2013. In a ruling in October 2013, the Supreme Court (SC), in the case of Subramanian Swamy vs Election Commission of India (ECI), has held that VVPAT (Vote Verifiable Paper Audit Trial) is "indispensable for free and fair elections" and thus, directed the ECI to equip Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with VVPAT systems to "ensure accuracy of the VVPAT system". The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to introduce a paper trail in EVMs, in a phased manner, for the next general elections in 2014, saying it will ensure free and fair polls. The apex court also directed the Centre to provide financial assistance for introducing Vote Verifier Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system. In pursuance of the Supreme Court order, the Election Commission ordered VVPAT systems to be used in the New Delhi assembly for the upcoming assembly elections. The pilot project was launched across 186 polling stations that will cater to 1,18,596 registered voters. The Commission will need about 14 lakh VVPAT machines to introduce the system in all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies during forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, the Commission is apprehensive that so many machines can be produced and testing them in such a short duration of time. The Commission feels that covering all Parliamentary constituencies may not be possible before 2019 General Elections. The Commission has stated that approximately 1500 crore rupees would be required for procuring VVPAT and installing it at all polling booths across the country.

Clash in Delhi set AAP's cash boxes ringing

NEW DELHI
The recent clash between the BJP and the AAP might have led to widespread criticism for Aam Aadmi Party but it has also set the party's cash boxes ringing. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers fought pitched battles with BJP activists in Lucknow and Delhi, hours after Arvind Kejriwal was detained briefly in Gujarat--shortly after election dates were announced. The former Delhi chief minister is in Narendra Modi's state to verify claims of development. Moments after AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was briefly detained in Gujarat, his party's anger spilled onto the streets and resulted in violent clashes between AAP workers and members of the saffron party. The incident is being seen as a blow to Kejriwal's serious image. If reports are to be believed the showdown also helped AAP garner massive sympathy in the form of online donations. The donations to the AAP peaked to 260 per cent, a day after clashes between BJP and AAP broke out in

the Capital and spread to other states. Compared to Rs. 6,67,852 received from 377 people as donations online a day before, the detention day saw Rs. 24,05078 being donated from 1,544 people, a hike of 260%. The amount received online was the highest for AAP in the last three

weeks or so. And it's not for the first time that supporters have extended monetary support in times of either crisis or happy moments. Hours after Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in November last year that donations made to AAP were being looked

into, contributions peaked manifold. Also, wishing a "happy new year" to the party, 2,476 supporters had on January 1 donated Rs. 41 lakh. Last time, AAP had seen such a spike in donation was when Kejriwal had resigned from the Delhi Chief Minister's post.

Literature on Gujarat's development Ram Vilas Paswan's return has and Modi now available in Hindi ramifications beyond Bihar
into Hindi. As a result, the grassroots level poll campaign teams of BJP workers in Chhattisgarh aren't finding it difficult to learn about Modi and how he charted the path for Gujarat's pace of development. BJP Chhattisgarh unit got massive amount of literature printed in Gujarati translated into Hindi comprising stories on how Gujarat developed under Narend Modi besides also his own life sketch. A huge lot of literature on the Gujarat's development is available in Gujarati language which is unique in nature. The Gujarat unit of the party is co-operating in every way with other BJP units across the country to provide the kind of information they need on Gujarat and Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Party workers visiting door to door in other states need to know why Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is the BJP's prime ministerial candidate during their poll campaigns. In rural areas, many people in other states may not know how Gujarat emerged as a developed state of the country and under whose leadership, he stated. Meanwhile, in the Chhattisgarh unit of the party, huge emphasis is being paid on knowing about the Gujarat Chief Minister and his achievements for a clear and effective communication to the people for campaigns which are hinged on party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

PATNA
Ram Vilas Paswan's return to the NDA is good for both his party and the BJP. The LJP will get to contest seven Lok Sabha seats from Bihar, have the backing of the formidable Sangh Parivar cadre, and cash in on both the strong anti-Congress and anti-Nitish Kumar sentiments in the State - the latter having become especially pronounced after the State's Chief Minister decided to walk out of the NDA against the wishes of a large section of the people of Bihar. The BJP, in return, will benefit from the support of the Maha Dalits that form a chunk of Paswan's vote bank. Paswan's return has ramifications that go beyond electoral numbers and Bihar. It has punctured the propaganda that the Bharatiya Janata Partyled alliance is an untouchable for the 'secularists'. The Lok Janshakti Party supremo had quit the coalition in the wake of the violence that had erupted in Gujarat in 2002 and had, like several other anti-Narendra Modi voices, held the State Government responsible for the incident. But now, after the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team has given Modi a clean chit, and after it has become amply clear that the hate-Modi campaign has been motivated more by cheap politics than facts on the ground, Paswan's party has rightly taken the position that it would be inappropriate to continue holding the Gujarat Chief Minister and now the BJP's prime ministerial candidate responsible for that violence. The social engineering that will consequently result could herald serious trouble for Lalu Prasad's RJD as well as the JD(U). The Congress, meanwhile, is irrelevant on its own. Given that Modi's personal culpability remains not just non-established but also rejected through the apex court-appointed probe agency, there was no cause for Paswan to remain outside the NDA fold. After all, he had been part of the coalition during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure as Prime Minister, shared an excellent rapport with leaders of the BJP, and had even served as a Union Minister. Of course, his return has also to do with the shabby treatment he has received at the hands of the Rashtriya Janata Dal -- with whom he had an alliance in the 2009 election -- and the Congress, on the issue of seat-sharing. As he has observed, neither of the two parties was willing to deal with him with the respect and consideration that he deserved. This humiliation, along with the fact that Modi is legally clear of the 2002 taint, propelled his return to the NDA. Paswan's re-entry has also put paid to the hopes the BJP's rivals have been nurturing that the NDA will not be able to grow substantially beyond what it is today . Not only has the LJP joined the coalition but also that many more are expected to join the alliance from across the country in the weeks to come.

RAIPUR
Senior BJP leaders here have said that Gujarat had become the focal point of attention in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls in the country due to candidature of its Chief Minister Narendra Modi as BJP's prime ministerial candidate. Party's units in other states are also demanding literature on Gujarat's development and the Chief Minister himself in Hindi. More and more state level leaders have been asking for Hindi language literature on Narendra Modi as it would be easy for them to tell people in their region about the party's prime ministerial candidate in rural pockets of the country, the source informed. This literature was so far available in Gujarati but has now been translated

08

Politics

March 10 to March 16, 2014 (MP&CG)

Meenakshi selected Cong candidate from Mandsaur

AAP hasn't lost its appeal in Delhi

he AAP performed extremely well during the Delhi Assembly Elections. There are mixed opinion about 49 days of AAP government in Delhi. There are some positive views and praises for what Kejriwal's government did in a short period. There are many others who are critical about how the AAP government performed during its 49 days in government. Kejriwal's dharna, Somnath Bharati's mid night raid etc. are some of the low points about AAP's government as seen by the people. While these incidents have damaged the image of the AAP, which may result in their declining popularity amongst Delhi's middle class. However, the party has not lost its appeal and its electoral support amongst the lower and the poor class. Large number of voters appreciated the way government took on the Delhi police. In Delhi the AAP's popularity amongst voters cutting across class remains more or less intact, may even rise if Kejriwal is able to convince the voters that the Congress and BJP did not allow him to fight corruption as he wanted to do that by brining Lok Pal Bill. The real question is what kind of an impact can AAP make in

BHOPAL
Sitting Congress MP from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, Meenakshi Natarajan emerged as a consensus candidate through the primary, which is piloted by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, to contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Natarajan's victory came against the backdrop of former Neemuch district Congress president and Lok Sabha aspirant Surendra Sethi's allegation that the primary was rigged. Sethi had boycotted the election. The concept of primary is aimed at decentralisation of power and encouraging inner-party democracy in Congress. A total of 1,501 persons were eligible to cast vote in the primary election, which was held at hotel Harsh Vilas in Mandsaur on Monday. Natarajan secured 706 votes out of total of 781 votes cast, whereas Sethi got 50 votes while 25 votes were rejected. Sethi had alleged at least 500 Congress workers registered for voting did not belong to either Neemuch or Mandsaur, which according to him has cast a serious doubt on authenticity of the entire process. "It is sad that Rahul's pilot project was being sabotaged by those who claim to be close to him," he had said. Under the project being steered by Rahul, nominees in 15 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country will be chosen through primaries or inner party elections in a bid to strengthen democracy in Congress. Natarajan, also AICC secretary, was selected by Rahul for contesting from Mandsaur in 2009 general elections, which she won by over 30,000 votes defeating her BJP opponent Laxmi Narayan Pandey .

other states? Whether AAP will be able to win 10 or15 or 20 or even more Lok Sabha seats is important , but also important is to note how much votes party would be able to get. AAP is likely to get reasonable percentage of votes in many states, may not be enough to convert those votes into seats, but still enough to have its national presence. Indian electoral politics is heading for a scenario, when post 2014 Lok Sabha elections, besides Congress and the BJP the AAP may emerge as the third party to have presence in

many states with their votes ranging from 4-6 percent in many states. If surveys are taken as a thermometer to assess AAP's popularity, it is difficult is imagine that it would be able to make a great impact nationally. Going by the current mood of the voters in Delhi, it won't be surprising if the AAP manage to win 5 or 6 of the total 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The party's popularity is also on the rise in the neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab. In Haryana the AAP can pose a serious challenge to the ruling Congress both

in the Assembly election which are due later this year and in Lok Sabha election. Since BJP is not very strong in Haryana and Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is much discredited, it is much easier for the AAP to expand its base in Haryana compared to other states. Assembly constituencies being smaller in size both geographically and in terms of number of voters, it may be easy for the AAP to win assembly seats, but party still needs to cover a lot of ground, in order to make an impact in the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana. At best, the AAP may be able to win couple of Lok Sabha seats from Haryana. The AAP's popularity is on the rise even in Punjab, but it is still below the threshold required for winning seats in the Lok Sabha elections. If surveys estimate about 10-12 seats for AAP which state can AAP manage to perform well? AAP is not likely to perform well in any other state except Delhi and to some extent in Haryana. The party may be able to pull victories in some urban seats in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka or even in Punjab, but some of those victories may be more due to the candidate and less due to the party .

Poll promises: Parties will have to tell rationale of financing

New Delhi: Lok Sabha polls 2014 for 16th Lok Sabha will be conducted in 9 phases. The Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule for the polls. For the first time polling will be held in nine phases, starting April 07 and the counting of votes will be held on May 16. The term of the current Lok Sabha expires on June 1 and the new House has to be constituted by May 31. Apart from the immense suspense over who will form the government, there are many interesting 'firsts' that make this general election unique. EC has also issued guidelines to political parties asking them to explain the rationale of financing the promises they make in their election manifestos. Now, candidates in a parliamentary constituency in bigger states can spend up to Rs. 70 lakh on their campaign, up from Rs. 40 lakh in 2011. In the 2009 elections, it was Rs. 25 lakh. Since the last general election held in 2009, more than 10 crore new voters have enrolled with the election commission. In total, elections would see more than 81.4 crore voters exercise their ballot. Introduction of "None of the Above" (NOTA) option in voting for the general elections has been introduced this time.

Infighting in Cong intensifies ahead of Lok Sabha polls

proached state Congress president Bhupesh Baghel, who pushed his case for granting primary membership of party. Rajendra Sahu had contested last assembly poll as a CSM candidate against Congress veteran and AICC treasurer, Motilal Vora's son, Arun Vora, who had won Durg city assembly constituency. Vora camp raised its voice against the move to induct Rajendra Sahu and they stalled his entry in Congress, arguing that he had led an agitation against Vora and burnt the veteran leader's effigy. Arun Vora's supporters are already peeved at decisions being taken by Baghel, who became the party chief after Congress drubbing in November assembly polls, replacing Union minister of state for agriculture and food processing, Charan Das Mahant. Few days back, the new PCC chief appointed a vice-president and two general secretaries of state Congress and entrusted the responsibility of in-charge general secretary to newly appointed Girish Dewangan. Thus, PCC shunted out Subhash Sharma, a known Vora loyalist, from the post of in-charge general secretary and annoyed supporters of the veteran leader. Besides, party sources said, the new PCC chief was gradually trying to sideline office bearers appointed by his predecessor Charan Das Mahant.

LS campaign: Aggression levels turn high

Lok Sabha campaigning is officially in full swing, with the aggression levels turned to high. This much was evident from the recent poll pitches of both Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi who spoke in Jagraon, near Ludhiana in Punjab and Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand respectively. In what was a clear poll pitch, Modi told the people that if they made him the PM, that he would act as a security guard, and not allow the 'Panja' to cast its shadow on the state treasury. Modi heaped on the scorn on Cong, slammed the 'one rank one pension' initiative that was announced by finance minister P Chidambaram, reportedly at the behest of Rahul Gandhi, dismissing the 'gesture' as nothing more than a poll gimmick. Wondering aloud as to why the govt did not bring this proposal in previous budgets over the last ten yrs, Modi said, The speech was classic Modi. Dramatic, hard hitting and full of scorn for the Congress. Rahul Gandhi, who launched a scathing attack on the BJP, said Modi had the audacity to talk about corruption even though he never appointed a Lokayukta in his state and did so only after a judicial order. Although this was not the first time Rahul has aggressively gone after the BJP, the manner in which he took on the party head on, gives some indication of the tone of his speeches are likely to take from this point on.

RAIPUR
The decision of the former chief minister and senior Congress leader Ajit Jogi to stay away from electoral politics for a year is likely to prove crucial for the coming Lok Sabha polls as infighting has intensified again in opposition Congress. Jogi was a star campaigner of the party in the assembly polls. But now various party factions are at loggerheads over organizational matters, including granting party membership to a leader who deserted Chhattisgarh Swabhiman Manch to embrace Congress. Swabhiman Manch, which was floated by a former BJP MP, late Tara Chand Sahu, had fielded its candidates in November assembly polls but could not make any dent in state's bi-polar politics. Subsequently, the manch was merged with BJP last month. One of the manch leaders, Rajendra Sahu, however, broke away and ap-

(MP&CG)

March 10 to March 16, 2014

Glamor

09

Kangana Ranaut, you rock in Queen: Aamir Khan

Salman Khan finds 'wife' in Iulia Vantur?

MUMBAI

MUMBAI
Receiving praises from Bollywood's Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan is a big deal in B-Town as this talented actor seldom appreciates somebody's work. Recently, the superstar admired Kangana Ranaut's brilliant acting skill for her latest released film "Queen". The super Khan took to Twitter to express his take on the film which released on March 7. Aamir tweeted, "What a film!!! Guys you have to watch QUEEN !!! Anyone who hasn't seen it please go now and see it. Such an important film for every girl, every woman to watch... and in fact every male to watch too! Thank you to Vikas Bahl and his team which made the film. And Kangana... you rock!!! Love. a.(sic)." The film that is receiving amazing reviews has managed Kangana to regain her position in Bollywood. Kangana's "Queen" has successfully managed to attract more audiences than Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla starrer "Gulaab Gang". Well, congratulations Kangana for Queen and hope that your next brings you the same success.

herever Salman Khan goes, one question follows him and it is of course about his marriage but, it is apparent that soon everyone would get an answer to it! Bollywoods one among the top three Khans has hinted about his marriage to a girl which is not an Indian native. Yes, you guess it right! We are here discussing about Romanian beauty Iulia Vantur, who has become Dabanggs favorite since a quite long time from now. Opening his heart over being single at the last evening of media Conclave 2014 Salman said, Now Im in transit period and I like it. From the age of 15, I did not get a transit period. For the first time, I have such a chance to sigh. I am sighing more since it has been two-and-a-half years. Its time to stop sighing because something soon will happen in my life... He added, My father is Pathan, mother is Hindu, second mother is catholic, and brother-in-law is Punjabi. Wife, I am thinking to bring from outside. This was enough from Salmans side to shift everyones focus to Iulia who, he is dating from quite long time. Its not only about dating and spending time with each other as Salman, as a much senior actor in the industry, is helping Vantur to make her a more polished actress. Recently, Salman visited the sets of Oh Teri where the Romanian beauty was shooting her song titled Ummbakumm. Actor keenly watched her performance and gave necessary tips to come out more clean on reel. So, it is probable that countrys most eligible bachelor Salman Khan may tie knot to the very beautiful Iulia Vantur in 2014!!!

Prachi Desai: Its golden time for female actors in Bollywood

MUMBAI
As female-centric Madhuri Dixit starrer 'Gulab Gang' and Kangana Ranaut's 'Queen' being highly praised by the viewers, pretty Prachi Desai feels that it is a great time for the actresses in Bollywood as today they are free to choose what they wish to do. Prachi Desai was last seen along with Sanjay Dutt in 'Policegiri', however, the film fell flat at the boxoffice. "For all the female actors, it's a very good phase because today you don't have to worry about a project that you really like," said the gorgeous actress while talking to the reporters at the sideline of launching of a clothing brand Central's spring summer collection on Sunday . "Maybe at any other point and time, the girls would have thought twice before taking up a project, but today I guess you can do just what you like," she added. Since her Bollywood debut in 2008 with 'Rock On!!', Prachi has been in news for her looks and acting skills. She has acted in some of fantastic films like 'Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai'.

Manish Paul, Mohit Raina win most stylish personality award in presence of B'wood stars
MUMBAI
Gone are the days when only BTown celebs use to bag all awards for good looks and acting, nowadays small screen actors are also giving them a tough competition. Recently at an award function television actors Mohit Raina and Manish Paul sweeped most stylish personality award at Hindustan Times stylish awards. 'Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev' fame Mohit Raina, who looked eye pleasing dressed in formals bagged the most stylish television personality in Hindustan Times Stylish awards. Mohit received the award by television actor Tisca Chopra. The second award during the evening went to small screen's popular host Manish Paul for the most stylish emerging talent. The actor looked amazing dressed up in a metallic suit. The elated actor said, "It's an honour to be selected for such an award. What else can I say?" Manish was also the host for the evening. Television actors bagging this awards were a surprise for all as the event witnessed the presence of few very good-looking and stylish celebs like Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Kajol, Maliaka Arora and cricketer Yuvraj Singh among others.

10

Commerce

March 10 to March 16, 2014 (MP&CG)

No escape from middlemen for farmers

Crop loss: MP faces one of history's worst crises

BHOPAL
Madhya Pradesh is currently facing one of the worst crises in history. According to official estimates, standing rabi crops of wheat, gram and masoor in more than 10,000 villages have been either totally or partially damaged by hailstorm and untimely heavy rains that hit large parts of the state. Lakhs of farmers have been ruined and the output of food grains in the state may go down by 50 to 80 per cent, suggest preliminary estimates. The damage to the crops is so serious that it has sent hundreds of farmers into a state of depression. Reports of suicides and attempted suicides by farmers are also pouring in. It is felt that psychological measures should be taken to enable farmers to overcome the crisis. How serious the situation is can be gauged by the fact that a cabinet minister broke down while reporthailstorm. He urged the Centre to declare this crisis as a national calamity and send teams immediately to assess losses. He also met the President and demanded a package of Rs 5,000 crore for relief and compensation. He, however, said that the government would not wait for the response of the Central government but would start the process of assessment of damage and payment of compensation from its own coffers immediately . Special packages would be offered for damage between 25 per cent and 50 per cent. Compensation would be paid at the rate of Rs 15,000 per hectare for damaged crops of wheat, pulses and oilseeds and at the rate of Rs 15,000 per acre for loss to fruit and vegetable crops. Loan recovery from the farmers has already been suspended and interest of loan for the period would be paid by state government.

he rising cost of food that has hurt both Indian pockets and politicians' electoral prospects in the past year is often blamed on a multi-layered system of middlemen involved in the distribution of produce from farm to fork. In late-December, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, was so worried about the ballooning prices that he asked all states where his party is in power to remove fruits and vegetables from the grip of the middlemen-dominated agriculture produce marketing committees by Jan. 15. Introduced in the 1960s, these legally-enned committees prohibit farmers from dealing directly with buyers and require them to sell to licensed middlemen. The aim was to give India's huge farming community a fair and consistent price for their produce. But over the years, the system has created several layers of intermediaries, lengthening the supply chain and increasing the opportunity for cartels to form, which in turn drive prices down for farmers and up for consumers. Removing fruit and vegetables from the control of these committees would allow the produce to find its true market value and damp down inflation, according to analysts. However, over a month after Gandhi's deadline, little progress has been made in this direction. "The idea looks good. But, it can't happen overnight," said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Mumbaibased Care Ratings. A crop cultivated by a farmer in a farflung village goes through as many as four intermediaries before reaching the local vegetable market in a semiurban or urban area, according to analysts. Many of these intermediaries provide money in advance to the farmers to cover cultivation costs and recall their loan in the form of produce after the harvesting. Unless the big retailers decide to take the same approach and provide advances in terms of credits, equipment and seeds to the farmer, the dominance of middlemen will continue, said Kishore Narne, associate director at Motilal Oswal Commodity Broker Pvt Ltd. "The intermediaries add value but they increase the cost. You need to provide the farmer an alternative avenue to sell their produce," said Mr. Sabnavis.

ing the situation to his boss. The damage to the crops has become a cause of serious worry for the ruling party BJP. It relief works are not taken on a war footing and quick delivery of relief, both in cash and kind, is not ensured, it might affect the prospects of the ruling party in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The government will also have to ensure that the government servants do not use the

calamity to amass wealth. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that the government was firmly behind the farmers in their hour of crisis. It was decided to make an immediate provision of Rs 2,000 crore to pay compensation and provide other relief to the farmers. The chief minister said that crops in as many as 9,584 villages in 49 districts of the state had been damaged due to the rain and

Employers mislead labour authorities to exploit contract workers

Mineral rich states should attract new investors

substantial gap between the demand and supply of job seekers and job opportunities cannot be denied. But the crucial problem lies with the attitude of entrepreneurs and/or employers towards job seekers. These days employers tend to employ workers on contractual basis instead of giving permanent appointment even when the work is of permanent nature. Employers also try to exploit contractual workers as much as possible and mislead labour authorities and circumvent the laws and provisions in this regard. Temptation to optimise shortterm profit tends to create contractual job opportunities, instead of creating regular vacancies. Despite being a prohibitory law for contractual employments, the management prefers to employ a large section of workforce on contract basis, even for permanent and perennial nature of jobs. The Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970 (hereinafter CLRA Act) was enacted with twin

aims to prohibit the employment of contract labour and to regulate the employment and working conditions of contract labour in India. Where the nature of job is of perennial nature, the employment of contract labour is prohibited. Where the nature of job is temporary and/or seasonal, the Act provides regulatory terms and conditions. Employers know that the needy worker shall accept any terms and condition for the employment. Unilateral, biased and unsustainable and even unethical terms of contracts are framed and are put to them for 'take it or leave it'. The workers, having no choice, are compelled to accept them. After sometime, when the workers start sustaining, their mind start working and they start protesting and thereafter start industrial disputes. But they hardly succeed in such cases and gain anything but the forced unemployment. When the contract workers are employed on temporary and seasonal basis, the workers work

therein knowing very well that they are temporarily employed for sometime. The contractor is required to maintain registers and records, giving particulars of workers, nature of job, rates of wages in the register of contractors. Nobody challenges the provisions or rules of the Act but at the same time they are rarely applied. If entrepreneurs find such provisions, mentioned in the Act, and rules as complex, cumbersome and/or infeasible, they must desist to employ contract labour and should go for recruitment of permanent employees. This will also increase permanent job opportunities. Perhaps, this is the inherent intent of the Act. Instead of doing this, the management takes the other route i.e. employing contract labour. They try to dilute, design, twist and misinterpret the provisions and rules and mislead or impress the labour authorities for optimising their profits and in doing so they simply employ and exploit the contract labour.

BHOPAL: The three mineral-rich States of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan should strengthen the policy regime to attract new investors, industry watchers say . European companies, for instance, are unaware of the investment opportunities that exist in these states, said Sunil Prasad, Secretary General of Europe India Chamber of Commerce, a Brusselsbased organisation that promotes trade between India and Europe. "In Europe, Rajasthan is known for tourism but Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh has very little visibility. Madhya Pradesh is largely known for the Bhopal Union Carbide disaster and Chhattisgarh for the Naxalite movement. These perceptions must change," said Prasad. Madhya Pradesh has the largest reserves of diamond and copper in India. Rajasthan produces 79 varieties of minerals, of which 58 are being commercially exploited. Chhattisgarh, being a mineral-rich State, contributes 20 per cent in the country's total production of steel and cement. In India, however, much of the approvals for operating mines come from the Union Government. The need of the hour is for the three States to have a conducive minerals policy, given their abundance in natural resources, added Prasad. In Naxal-hit States such as Chhattisgarh, iron ore mining is severely hampered. However, several companies buy iron ore from other States and process it in Chhattisgarh, which results in costs going up, said Pradeep Tandon, Executive Vice-President of Jindal Steel and Power.

(MP&CG)

March 10 to March 16, 2014

Sports

11

Waqar, Murali to train Bengal bowlers

akistani fast-bowling legend Waqar Younis and retired Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan were appointed bowling consultants for a Cricket Association of Bengal coaching programme beginning March 15 for a three-year contract. Brainchild of former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, the iconic duo will spend at least 30 days with a pool of Bengal youngsters for a development programme aimed at creating supply line for the senior team. Their contract amount is believed to be the tune of Rs 60 lakh each per season.

"It'll be a simple cricket coaching with Waqar and Murali and no rocket science," Ganguly told reporters after the plan was ratified at CAB's working committee meeting. In the first phase of the programme, Younis and Muralitharan will coach 200 players to be handpicked from CAB affiliated clubs and the trainees will also include senior Bengal players if available. "They will be picked from a screening camp. The first phase from March 15 will consist of 200 players," Ganguly, who is also the coaching committee chairman of

the CAB, added. Ninety-four clubs will nominate one pacer and one spinner, making it a total of 188 while the remaining 12 will be U-19 players from second division clubs. "It's difficult but you have to give fair chance to everybody . It will be for 30-40 days under Waqar and Murali but local coaches will take the camp throughout the year," he said. There have been foreigners as coaches in the Ranji Trophy teams, including Intikhab Alam for Punjab and more recently Michael Bevan for Odisha but rarely has any state development programme in

India seen such high profile appointments. Younis and Muralitharan will be assisted by Ranadeb Bose as assistant coach in the pace department, while the CAB is yet to finalise the assistant in the spin department. "Everything has been passed. There's a confusion about who will be (assistant) spin coach, let's see," Ganguly added. Ganguly, who will be chief consultant of the batting pool, said, "A batting clinic will be held separately, first let this take place. I will be there, so we can do it at an appropriate time."

Mizoram takes its first-ever Pele fears protests could ruin World Cup Santosh Trophy home
RIO DE JANEIRO
Football legend Pele fears violent protests in Brazil could ruin this year's World Cup. Mass anti-government rallies that began during last June are expected to continue during the World Cup, to be held in 12 Brazilian cities from July 12 to July 13, reported Xinhua. Pele called on Brazilians to temporarily put aside their disquiet over bad governance and corruption. "As a Brazilian, it makes me sad," Pele told the media. "We have two great chances to show off our country to the world with the World Cup and (Rio 2016) Olympics. It's an opportunity for the country to make money, develop tourism and it's important the protests don't ruin all of this. We are working as hard as we can." The 73-year-old rates Brazil among the tournament favourites but warned the path to a sixth World Cup will be littered with obstacles. "We are used to seeing Brazil score many goals but the World Cup is very different," Pele said. "It's a short tournament. We have to be ready because there are some great teams like Germany and Spain, who have had the same group of players for eight years.

iliguri, March 10: Mizoram won the National Football Championship on their maiden appearance in the final. The state wrote history by striking three goals against the Railways without reply at the Kanchenjunga Stadium here. Mizoram is now the second team from the North-East, after Manipur, to win the Santosh Trophy. Mizoram captain Zico Zoremsanga and F Lalrinpuia scored the goals. The team's performance in the first half wasn't great but evetually it managed to take the lead, thanks to Zico, who scored five goals in the tournament. Lalrinpuia scored a goal in the first minute of added-on time. Railways succeeded in piling on the pressure from the start and earned four corner-kicks to keep Mizoram players on tenterhooks, said a TOI

report. Mizoram were lucky that PC Riju's well-taken shot from top of the box went out after taking a deflection off a defender. A couple of minutes before the break, Railways were denied by the woodwork. Y Raju Singh's cross from the right was brilliantly back-headed by S Rajesh, beating the Mizoram custodian but came back off the horizontal. Susil Kisku's subsequent shot off the rebound deflected off a Mizoram defender's feet. A minute later, Mizoram forged into the lead against the run of play. F Lalrinpuia charged down the right flank before finding Zico with a neat pass just outside the box. The Mizoram skipper, who was completely unmarked, had acres of space to control the ball, turn and place it into the far corner of the net past rival custodian Ehtesham

Ahmed. Mizoram played with renewed vigour after the break and could have doubled their lead had Ahmed not managed to keep away Lalrinpuia's powerful left-footer and Lalnunmawia not bungled with the rebound from close. Zico made it 2-0 in the 61st minute, once again exposing the chink in Railways defence where they missed first-choice central defenders - Vimal Kumar and Rajiv Boro - who were suspended for the match. Lalbiakhlua broke on a counter down the right and flicked the ball to Zico, catching the Railways backline napping. The striker broke into the box, calmly rounded off Ahmed and placed it home to send Mizoram fans into ecstasy . The final goal was scored by Lalrinpuia, who slammed home from close in addedon time.

SC adjourns RCA election case till March 25

anned former IPL chairman Lalit Modi's return to cricket administration in India continues to hang in the balance as the Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) election case, giving March 25 as the next date of hearing. The BCCI is making every possible effort to stop Modi's return to Indian cricket fold, with the board's lawyers making use of every rule in the book to delay a decision by the Supreme Court after, on January 27, BCCI conceded defeat in the RCA polls saying Modi has won by securing 26 out of the 33 votes. The sealed envelope containing the results of the polls remains in the apex court's possession. Incidentally, March 25 - the next date of the hearing - is also the day when the inquiry committee reports on corruption in the IPL will be heard by a separate bench. On Tuesday, the BCCI lawyers made the submission as soon as the court proceedings began in an attempt to stop the bench from declaring the poll results.

12

Nation

March 10 to March 16, 2014 (MP&CG)

Modi has plans to provide energy security to people

in states like Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, thermal power plants are planned in coal-producing states like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, hydro power plants are planned to be taken up in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and the states of the northeast. Solar energy will be tapped in the vast stretch of Tihar desert in Rajasthan and other states rich in solar energy like Gujarat. Wind power potential in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala will be harnessed while biomass power generation will be promoted in small towns across the country, the sources said. Modi envisions an energy-sufficient India, which has the potential to fundamentally transform the country . Modi is seeking to redefine the significance of the three colours in India's national flag -- green symbolising agriculture and revolution, white, the milk revolution and saffron energy, BJP sources said. They claimed that Gujarat has a high per capita power consumption of 1,615.24 units, indicating a better index of human development in the state against the national per capita consumption of 884 units.

JP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has been stressing that he was committed to provide electricity and energy security to the people of the country . Party sources have revealed that the BJP leader has in fact drawn up plan based on a vision that covers seven energy fields - biomass, solar, thermal, hydro, wind, gas and nuclear. The plan will be put into force if NDA comes to power. It is aimed at ensuring energy security for all and designed to cover the entire geographical stretch of the country to unite into a national grid. While gas-based power plants are proposed

MoD justifies purchase of old Russian warship even after 10

NEW DELHI
Amid raised concerned about the Indian navy warships in the wake of 10 huge mishaps in the last six months, the Union Defence Ministry (navy) adopted a shocking approach towards the accidents by justifying the purchase of old Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov. In a response to the RTI query filed by activist Subhash Agrawal, the Defence Ministry accepted that the INS Vikaramaditya is a renovated version of an old Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov. It is saddening to know that the Russian warship was so old that it was laid down in Dec 1978 and launched in Apr 1982, reveals the RTI response, which is in exclusive possesion of Daily Bhaskar. The ministry justified their decision of buying outdated versions of the warships as the "majority of the equipment, systems and hull structures could be repaired while the electronic equipment could be renewed." It was discovered later that the hull structures, systems, cabling etc could not be repaired and the only option was to replace them with the new ones. The additional work of replacing the required parts was added to the project. The response given to the RTI also said that it had not been feasible "to buy a new aircraft carrier commercially" and therefore the Admiral Gorshkov was technically examined after it was repaired. The ministry noted that the outdated Admiral Gorshkov would meet the Indian Navy's requirements. It termed that the obsolete

Russian warship was as good as a new air craft carrier. DK Joshi resigned from post of Navy Chief as he took the moral responsibilities of the mishaps after the latest accident including INS Sindhuratna came in light. Two officers lost their lives in the mishap and seven sailors were affected severely due to smoke inhalation. Though the decision of stepping down as Navy Chief by Joshi is being considered as a noble move by many, it is consequential to deeply analyze the issue and find out the real culprits. Firstly, the step of going ahead with the purchase of outdated and obsolete submarines and warships can't be termed as a perfect move and then justifying the purchase only reflects how irresponsible the concerned authorities can be.

Indian Navy's operational capabilities crippled?

M
ore than half of India's submarines have completed 75% of their operational lives. Long before Sindhurakshak went out of action, only six of India's 14 submarines were operating at any given time. Effectively, very few guard the coastline. Six months after a massive explosion sank a submarine, Sindhurakshak, a fire inside another, Sindhuratna, and the immediate resignation of navy chief Admiral D K Joshi are a grim reminder that all is far from well with India's navy . Joshi's prompt resignation, owning moral responsibility, is praiseworthy. But 12 mishaps involving conventional submarines and warships in a span of seven months could potentially cripple the navy's operational capabilities. This may also severely impair India's ambitions of becoming a strategic blue-water power able to operate far beyond its extensive coastline. The navy's plans to build, with French assistance, a new class of conventional submarines called Scropene have been delayed. It will serve India's defence establishment well not to brush its own failures or lapses under the carpet and thoroughly investigate recent accidents, which have caused an unacceptable depletion in the navy's force levels. Next, naval headquarters and defence ministry must act in tandem to replace aging platforms by inducting state-of-the-art vessels, submarines as well as warships, besides avoiding delays in commissioning indigenously built nuclear submarines. Any deviation from these core issues bedevilling the navy will defeat the maritime doctrine that sought to enhance India's status as a regional naval power.

Owned Printed and Published by M.M.Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah Garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No.101, A-SECTOR INDRAPURI BHEL, WARD NO.63 DIST BHOPAL-462021, M.P. Tele/FAX 0755-4292545,Mob.09425029901 email-editor@wethestate.com RNI No. MPENG\2012\46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG -Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction